State of Cycling Report: Wellington region 21-212
Contents 1. INTRODUCTION...5 2. DATA SOURCES...6 2.1 HOUSEHOLD TRAVEL SURVEY...6 2.2 TRANSPORT PERCEPTIONS SURVEY (TPS)...6 2.3 SHORT-TRIP ACTIVE MODE SURVEY...6 2.4 METLINK CUSTOMER SATISFACTION SURVEY...6 2.5 NEW ZEALAND CENSUS...6 2.6 SCHOOL TRAVEL PLAN DATA...6 2.7 CRASH ANALYSIS SYSTEM (CAS)...7 2.8 SPORT NEW ZEALAND...7 2.9 WELLINGTON CITY COUNCIL...7 2.1 ACC CLAIMS...8 2.11 NATIONAL INJURY QUERY SYSTEM (NIQS)...8 3. WHO IS CYCLING AND HOW OFTEN?...9 3.1 BICYCLE OWNERSHIP...9 3.2 CYCLING FREQUENCY...9 3.3 SUMMARY...1 4. CYCLE TRAVEL...11 4.1 CYCLE MODE SHARE...11 4.1.1 All travel...11 4.1.2 Travel to work...11 4.1.3 Travel to school...12 4.2 CYCLE TRIPS, DISTANCE AND TIME...13 4.3 SHORT-TRIPS...14 4.4 SUMMARY...15 5. CYCLE SAFETY AND RISK...16 5.1 CYCLIST INJURY CRASHES...16 5.2 CYCLIST CASUALTIES...16 5.3 RISK ON THE ROAD...18 5.4 ACC CLAIMS...18 5.5 PERCEPTIONS OF SAFETY...19 5.6 SUMMARY...2 6. CYCLING: STAGES OF CHANGE...21 6.1 FEASIBILITY OF CYCLING...21 6.2 STAGE OF CHANGE MEASUREMENT...21 6.3 MOTIVATION, PERCEIVED BENEFITS AND BARRIERS...22 6.4 SUMMARY...23 7. CYCLING CONDITIONS...24 7.1 FUNDING...24 7.2 EASE OF TRAVEL...24 7.3 LEVEL OF SERVICE...25 7.4 CYCLE INFRASTRUCTURE...25 7.4.1 Cycle paths...25 7.4.2 Public transport integration...25 7.5 HELMET USE...26 7.6 EDUCATION & ENCOURAGEMENT...27 7.6.1 Educating professionals and the public...27 7.6.2 Encouragement programmes and events...28 7.7 SUMMARY...29
8. DISCUSSION...3 9. REFERENCES...33 APPENDIX 1...35 GLOSSARY...37
1. Introduction Research shows that cycling has many potential benefits, both for communities and individuals. Cycling can play a critical role in promoting mobility, creating healthy lifestyles, reducing traffic congestion and emissions, saving money and generating economic activity (Greater Wellington Regional Council, 28; Ministry of Transport, 28). Even with all these potential benefits, the Household Travel Survey (27-11) shows that only 1% of all trips in the Wellington region are made by bicycle, which rises to 1.5% when looking at trips less than 5km. To encourage people to cycle for some of their transport trips and realise some of the potential benefits described above, people must have safe and convenient choices to change their current pattern of travel. This is also recognised in Safer Journeys, New Zealand s Road Safety Strategy (Ministry of Transport, 21). One of the aims of the strategy is to achieve a reduction in the crash risk for cyclists, while at the same time encouraging an increase in use of this mode through safer roading infrastructure. A number of data sources are available that provide regional data relating to cycling. However, due to the publishing timetables of this data, results from different data sources are often viewed in isolation. To overcome this, this report brings together and analyses the available regional cycling data with the aim of providing a fuller picture of cycling in the region to help measure our progress and effectiveness, and achieve greater results. This State of Cycling report provides an analysis of cycling in the Wellington region from information gathered via surveys, the census and cordon counts between 21 and 212, as well as cyclist crash and injury information. WGN_DOCS-#118141-V13 PAGE 5 OF 37
2. Data Sources 2.1 Household Travel Survey The New Zealand Household Travel Survey (HHTS) conducted by the Ministry of Transport since 23 is an ongoing survey. The survey gathers information about daily personal travel in New Zealand. It collects information about how each leg of a journey is travelled. People in the survey report all their personal travel, including travelling in a vehicle, on foot, by bike and by public transport. The surveys provide information about travel patterns and how these have changed over time. The survey produces regional results on a four-year moving average basis. The following information is used from this survey: Mode share of travel Cycling trips by frequency, purpose, time and distance Bike ownership 2.2 Transport Perceptions Survey (TPS) This is a telephone/online survey of 1, residents, aged 13+, of the greater Wellington region. The survey is conducted in June and began in 23, with further surveys conducted in 24, 26, 28 and 212. The information used from this survey is: Transport mode use in the last 3 months Main form of transport to travel to work/study Feasibility of cycling to work/study Feasibility of cycling to work/study Perceptions about ease of travel by cycling, cycling safety, and level of service 2.3 Short-Trip Active Mode Survey The short-trip active mode survey was first conducted in 24 as an update to a major benchmark study into regional land transport carried out in 21. Further update surveys have been carried out in 26 and 29. The survey involves conducting telephone interviews with 8 randomly selected Wellington region residents 16+ years of age. Questioning focused on their short trip behaviour in the previous 24 hours. The information presented from this survey includes: The percentage of short trips, of less than one and two kilometres, which are made using cycling. The perceived barriers to cycling short trips of less than one or two kilometres. 2.4 Metlink Customer Satisfaction Survey This is an annual telephone survey, conducted in April/May, of 75 Wellington region residents commissioned by Metlink and conducted by Premium Research. The first survey was conducted in 23 and it has been conducted annually since then. The questionnaire content was substantially reviewed and updated for the 21 survey, so comparisons can only be drawn with previous surveys when the question wording is the same. Only information on mode use in the last 3 months is used from this survey. 2.5 New Zealand census The census is the official count of how many people and dwellings there are in New Zealand. It takes a snapshot of the people in New Zealand and the places where we live. The information the census collects on mode of journey to work on census day (March) is used in this report. 2.6 School Travel Plan data The School Travel Plan (STP) Programme is a joint-partnership between schools, local councils and Greater Wellington that supports school communities in developing and implementing action plans that improve road safety and promote active and sustainable travel to and from school. The programme has received funding from the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA), formally Transit New Zealand, since 26. Schools involved in the STP programme participate in data collection and monitoring phases. This involves using baseline surveys, PAGE 6 OF 37 WGN_DOCS-#118141-V13
conducted at each participating school, that gather information from students and parents around current school travel methods, barriers and road safety concerns. Once travel plan activities are implemented, students and parents at the school are re-surveyed typically a year on from implementation. Data from STP surveys provide information on: Mode of travel to school Mode shift in travel to school Perceptions on the safety of children cycling to school 2.7 Crash Analysis System (CAS) The CAS is an integrated computer system that provides tools to collect, map, query, and report on road crash and related data. It contains data from all traffic crashes reported by police. The information provided by CAS is used to determine and analyse trends, which help direct recommendations around road safety funding allocations, target road safety programmes and monitor their performance. Data from CAS relating to crashes involving cyclists and cyclist injuries are presented in this report. 2.8 Sport New Zealand A 23 survey, commissioned by Sport New Zealand, formally SPARC, and the Cancer Society of New Zealand, collected information from adult New Zealanders relating to physical activity and healthy eating habits. The resulting obstacles to action database has regional data available on respondent s frequency of cycling and their cycling stage of change (the extent that someone would cycle, or consider cycling a short journey if the weather was fine and they had nothing to carry). Regional profiles were also released from the 27/8 Active New Zealand Survey. In relation to cycling it provides a snapshot of cycling participation levels among adults. 2.9 Wellington city council Wellington city council (WCC) commissions annual cordon counts of pedestrians, cyclists and motor vehicles. Data from cyclist counts entering the Wellington CBD cordon (Figure 1), along with counts of cyclists commuting from surrounding suburbs (Figure 2) are presented in this report. Data is collected at the beginning of March, each weekday morning, between 7am and 9am. Figure 1. Wellington CBD cordon survey locations; WCC Figure 2. Wellington commuter cordon survey locations; WCC The council also conducts an annual resident satisfaction survey, involving 6 residents, in February each year that looks at how well the WGN_DOCS-#118141-V13 PAGE 7 OF 37
city is achieving the goals Councillors have set during the annual plan process. This includes questions relating to mode of travel and preferred mode of travel on weekdays. 2.1 ACC claims ACC collects data for injuries that have resulted in an ACC claim. This data is for all new claims, reported by the calendar year when the injury occurred. ACC data relating to cyclist injuries, by the scene of where the injury occurred are presented in this report. 2.11 National Injury Query System (NIQS) The Injury Prevention Research Unit maintains a dedicated injury website, which utilises the NZHIS databases to provide injury information. The website allows the user to generate hospitalisation and mortality statistics for particular causes. In this report cyclist fatalities/injuries in motor vehicle (MV) traffic crashes and non-motor vehicle (NMV) traffic are presented. PAGE 8 OF 37 WGN_DOCS-#118141-V13
3. Who is cycling and how often? 3.1 Bicycle ownership Regional data on bicycle ownership and access is shown in Table 1 and Table 2 below. Information from the Short-Trip Active Mode Survey (Table 1) showed that 37% of respondents in 26 owned or had access to a bicycle. This increased from 32% in 24. Table 1. Percentage of respondents owning or having ready access to a bicycle; Short- Trip Active Mode Survey 24 26 Own a bicycle 27% 31% Access to a bicycle 5% 6% Own/access to bicycle 32% 37% No access to a bicycle 68% 63% Data from the Household Travel Survey (HHTS), shown in Table 2, provides more recent data. The 27-211 survey found that 47% of households had access to a bicycle in working order. Bicycle access has gradually increased over the last few years. Table 2. Percentage of households with a bicycle in working order; HHTS Yes No 23-27 46% 54% 24-28 44% 56% 25-29 45% 55% 26-21 44% 56% 27-211 47% 53% Having access to a bicycle is a critical component in getting people to use a bicycle for their travel. In the region bicycle access has steadily been increasing, so more and more residents have the option of choosing cycling as a travel mode for their trips. 3.2 Cycling frequency A number of sources provide data on the use of cycling in previous months. The proportion of the population who cycled in the last year, from the Household Travel Survey, is shown in Figure 3. Data from the 27-211 survey period found that 34% of adults in the region, 73% of children aged 5-12 and 58% of children aged 13-17 had cycled within the last year. The proportion of the adult population that have cycled in the last year has increased by 21% since the 23-27 survey. Over this time increases have been observed for both males and females, and even though males remain more likely to cycle than females this gap has been closing. Figure 3. Proportion of the population who cycled in the last year; HHTS Percentage (%) 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Adult male (18+) Adult female (18+) Adult total Child (5-12 yrs) Child (13-17 yrs) All total 23-27 24-28 25-29 26-21 27-211 Children are more likely to have cycled in the last year than adults. However, the proportion of children aged 13-17 cycling in the last few survey periods is lower than that observed in 23-27. Information from the 27/8 Active New Zealand Survey found that 29% of adults in the Wellington region had cycled over the last 12 months. Males were more likely to have cycled than females, 42% compared to 15%. Table 3 uses data from the Transport Perceptions Survey (TPS) and shows the percentage of respondents that had made a trip in the region by cycling in the last 6 months. Table 3. Percentage of respondents that had made a trip by cycling in the last 6 months; TPS Yes No Don t know 23 19% 71% 1% 24 17% 73% 1% 26 21% 73% 6% 28 23% 72% 4% Total may not sum to 1% due to rounding Over time increasing proportions of residents have made trips by cycling in the previous 6 months. In 28, 23% of residents had cycled in the 6 months prior to the survey. Males were more likely to have cycled than females, with WGN_DOCS-#118141-V13 PAGE 9 OF 37
32% of males and 15% of females cycling within the last 6 months. In the 212 update to the Transport Perceptions Survey the question was changed to look at travel within the last 3 months. The survey found that 15% of respondents had cycled in the region within the last 3 months. Males were twice as likely to have cycled as females, 2% compared to 9%. Data on travel by cycling over the last 3 months is also collected in the Metlink Customer Satisfaction Survey, and is shown in Figure 4 by gender. In 212, 17% of respondents had cycled in the last 3 months. Males were more likely to have cycled in the last 3 months than females, but in general both have seen gradual increases over time. Figure 4. Proportion of residents who cycled in the last 3 months; Metlink 3 availability of a bicycle in a household is the single strongest predictor of travel by bicycle (Cervero, et al., 29). So it is encouraging to see that this has occurred in the Wellington region, as at the same time that access to a bicycle has increased, use of a bicycle for travel around the region has also increased. The proportion of adult residents travelling around the region by cycling, within the last year, 6 months, 3 months and 1 month have all increased over time. There is limited data relating to children, but data that is available suggests little change in the proportion of children cycling over the last few years but a decline compared to earlier in the decade. Both males and females have increased their travel by cycling over the last few years. Males are more likely to cycle than females, but there is some evidence to suggest that this gap may be closing. 25 Percentage (%) 2 15 1 5 Male Female Total 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 21 211 212 A 23 survey by Sport New Zealand, formally SPARC, found that 18% of Wellington region respondents had cycled occasionally in the previous 3 months and 12% had cycled regularly. These numbers are much higher than those obtained from other surveys relating to cycling in the previous 3 months. Finally, the Household Travel Survey also looks at the percentage of the population who have cycled in the last month. This has remained relatively unchanged at 17% (for the population 5 years and over) across the survey periods. Data relating to the adult population in the 27-211 survey period found that 14% had cycled in the last month. 3.3 Summary Bicycle ownership/access has steadily increased in the region over the last few years, with just under half of households having access to a bicycle. Research shows that the PAGE 1 OF 37 WGN_DOCS-#118141-V13
4. Cycle travel 4.1 Cycle mode share 4.1.1 All travel Mode share of total trip legs (people aged 5 and over) from the Household Travel Survey is shown in Figure 5. The motor vehicle is by far the preferred mode of transport, with cycle trips only making up 1% of travel in the region. This has not changed over the measurement period. Figure 5. Overall mode share; HHTS 27-211 1 26-21 25-29 24-28 23-27 1 1 1 1 44 46 46 47 48 2 4 6 8 1 24 24 24 24 25 mo de share (%) Cycle Vehicle driver Vehicle passenger Public transport Walk Other 4.1.2 Travel to work The census collects mode of travel to work data for the day of the census. The pie chart in Figure 6 shows mode of travel to work in the Wellington region in 26. Figure 6. Mode share of journey to work, census 26 Walk 11.1% Other 1.1% 5 Cycle 2.1% 4 4 4 4 25 24 24 23 21 1 1 1 1 1 the cycling mode share of journeys to work by TA, for the 21 and 26 census. Figure 7. Cycling mode share of journeys to work by territorial authority; census Percentage cycling mode share (%) 6 5 4 3 2 1 Wellington City 21 26 Hutt City Porirua Upper Hutt Kapiti South Wairarapa Cycling mode share of journeys to work has decreased in every TA, except Wellington city which remained unchanged, between 21 and 26. In both years Masterton district had the highest cycling mode share of journeys to work and Porirua city had the lowest. More recent data on mode share of travel to work for full-time workers aged 16+, from the Household Travel Survey and respondents aged 13+ who were employed and/or in study from the Transport Perceptions Survey is shown in Figure 8. Figure 8. Mode share 1 of travel to work, HHTS & TPS TPS:212 HTS:27-211 2 3 52 56 6 1 Masterton 3 22 Carterton REGION 7 8 3 1 HTS:26-21 2 6 8 2 7 2 Vehicle passenger 6.7% Public transport 16.9% Vehicle driver 62.1% HTS:25-29 2 61 7 2 8 2 HTS:24-28 2 63 6 2 7 2 HTS:23-27 2 65 7 2 4 2 2 4 6 8 1 M o de sha re ( %) Cycle Vehicle driver Vehicle passenger Public transport Walk Other The census found that the majority of travel to work is as a driver of a motor vehicle, with only 2.1% of journeys to work by cycling. The population coverage of the census means that it is also possible to analyses this data by territorial authority area (TA). Figure 7 shows 1 Data from the Household Travel Survey in the categories drive and drive + walk were combined to make the vehicle driver category. Passenger and passenger + walk were combined to make the vehicle passenger category. PT/walk or PT and PT/car or PT/car/walk were combined to make the public transport category. WGN_DOCS-#118141-V13 PAGE 11 OF 37
The 27-211 Household Travel Survey found cycling journeys to work made up 3% of travel to work. This has increased from 2% since the 23-27 survey. The 212 Transport perceptions Survey found that 2% of journeys to work were by cycling. It also found that cycling mode share of journeys to work was slightly higher for residents of Wellington city TA at 4%. This also agrees with data from the 211 Wellington City Residents Satisfaction Survey which found 4% of resident s cycle into central Wellington on weekdays. Interestingly, this survey found that 12% of residents would prefer to cycle into central Wellington most weekdays. Although not regional representative, mode share of travel to work can also be obtained from the region s workplace travel plan. Just focusing on the workplaces (n=8) that have been in the programme long enough to carry out an evaluation survey, it is found that these workplaces had a pooled cycling mode share of 6% that increased to 7% after participating in the travel plan programme for at least a year. 4.1.3 Travel to school Although travel to school makes up only 4% of trip legs (Ministry of Transport, 212), the health implications for children and the timing of school travel within the congested morning peak make it a topic of interest. Regional travel to school information from the Household Travel Survey can be analysed by primary age children and secondary age children. Figure 9 shows that the majority (63%) of primary age children are driven to school. Only 4% of primary age children cycle to school. Figure 9. Mode share of travel to school ages 5-12, 27-211; HHTS Other 2% Walk 23% Cycle 4% Car/van passenger 63% The travel to school behaviour of secondary age children differs to primary age children (see Figure 1). Higher proportions walk and use public transport, and lower proportions are driven. Once again, cycling only makes up a small proportion of travel to school, at 3%. Figure 1. Mode share of travel to school ages 13-17, 27-211; HHTS Other 5% Walk 27% Cycle 3% Public transport 3% Car/van driver 1% Car/van passenger 34% Around twenty years ago around a quarter of travel to school was by cycle but the use of this mode declined sharply through the 199 s (Ministry of Transport, 29). Since this sharp decline there has been little change in the proportion of travel to school by cycle for both age groups. Although not regional representative, mode share of travel to school for primary age children can also be obtained from the region s school travel plan (STP) programme (see Figure 11). Once again it is found that the majority of primary age children are driven to school, but this data shows that in 28-211 cycling (which also includes travel by scooter or skateboard) accounted for 9% of travel to schools that have signed up to the STP programme. Just focusing on the schools in the STP programme that have been in the programme long enough to carry out an evaluation survey, it is found that at these schools cycling mode share has increased. On signing up to the programme these schools had a pooled cycling mode share of 9% that increased to 11% after participating in the programme for at least a year (Durling & Winslow, 212). Public transport 8% PAGE 12 OF 37 WGN_DOCS-#118141-V13
Figure 11. Mode share of travel to school, STP programme 28-211 27-21 26-29 9 9 8 59 6 62 2 4 6 8 1 M o de share (%) Cycle Car/van driver Car/van passenger Public transport Walk Other 4.2 Cycle trips, distance and time The information presented below is from the detailed travel reported by survey respondents over the two surveyed travel days in the Household Travel Survey. Across all modes, in 27-211, it was found that cycling only made up 1% of all our trips, 1% of our travel time and.4% of our distance travelled. Tables 4 to 6 show the number of trip legs cycled, the distance cycled and the time spent cycling for residents in the Wellington region respectively. Table 4. Cycling trips; HHTS Trip legs per Km per trip leg year (million) 23-27 8. 2.9 24-28 8.2 2.9 25-29 6.8 2.7 26-21 5.6 3.2 27-211 7.1 3.5 The number of cycling trip legs decreased across the 23-27 to 26-21 survey periods, but increased by 27% (from 5.6 million to 7.1 million trips per year) from the 26-21 to 27-211 surveys. Similar trends were observed for distance cycled per year and time spent cycling per year. 5 5 5 27 26 25 Table 5. Cycled distance; HHTS Distance cycled per year (million km) Km cycled per person per week 23-27 22.9 1. 24-28 23.3 1. 25-29 18.1.7 26-21 18.1.7 27-211 24.7 1. Comparing 27-211 with 23-27, we are now cycling fewer trips per year (7.1 million compared to 8. million), but these trips must be getting longer as distance cycled per year has increased (24.7 million km compared to 22.9 million km). This is confirmed in Table 4, where it is seen that the average kilometres travelled per trip leg has increased from 2.9km to 3.5km. Table 6. Time spent cycling; HHTS Time spent cycling per year (million hours) Minutes cycled per person per week 23-27 2.3 5.9 24-28 2.3 5.6 25-29 1.6 4. 26-21 1.7 4.1 27-211 2.3 5.6 The distance cycled per person per week is unchanged at 1.km, and the time spent cycling is slightly lower (5.6 compared to 5.9 minutes per person per week). This suggests that the average pace of cycling has decreased. Cycle trips to work The census collects travel to work data for the day of the census. The number of cycle trips to work on the 21 and 26 census days is shown in Figure 12. Across the region the number of cycle trips to work has decreased by 3.4% from 21 and 26. Cycle trips to work originating in Wellington city and Porirua city are the only areas to experience increases in cycle trips to work from 21 to 26. The number of cycling trips in all other areas has experienced declines. WGN_DOCS-#118141-V13 PAGE 13 OF 37
Figure 12. Average weekday cyclist counts in and around Wellington city Number of cycle trips 4,5 4, 3,5 3, 2,5 2, 1,5 1, 5 Wellington City 21 26 Hutt City Porirua Upper Hutt Kapiti Origin of cycle trip The decline in the number of cycle trips was mainly due to the decrease in trips originating and ending within the same territorial authority area. For example, in 21 there were 498 trips to work that originated and ended in Hutt city, but this had decreased to 336 in 26. For Porirua trips these decreased from 252 to 162, Kapiti trips decreased from 225 to 21 and Wairarapa trips decreased from 456 to 312. Wellington city council conducts annual monitoring surveys on cycle flows in and around the city. The surveys are conducted each day during the weekday morning peak, between the hours of 7am and 9am, so for the purpose of this report all trips are assumed to be trips to work. The weekday average count (2 hour period) of cyclists crossing the Wellington CBD cordon, and the commuter cordon are shown in Figure 13. Figure 13. Average weekday cyclist counts in and around Wellington city; WCC Weekday average cyclist count 2, 1,8 1,6 1,4 1,2 1, 8 6 4 2 21 22 AM cordon (inbound) AM cordon (outbound) AM commuter 23 24 25 26 Year 27 28 29 Wairarapa 21 211 Region 212 There was little change in cyclist numbers in and around Wellington city from 21 to 26. Since this time there have been steady increases in cyclists numbers, especially those crossing the Wellington CBD cordon inbound and the commuter cordon. In 212, the numbers of cyclists crossing the Wellington CBD cordon inbound (1,733) and the commuter cordon (1,274) were around 7% higher than 21. The numbers of cyclists crossing the Wellington CBD cordon outbound are much lower than those crossing inbound, but these numbers have increased by just over 1% since 21. 4.3 Short-trips The Regional Land Transport Strategy promotes cycling as an alternative to travel by private vehicle for short and medium length trips. Nationally it has been found that short trips, less than 5km, make up a large proportion of household travel (O Fallon & Sullivan, 28) Of trips less than 5km in the Wellington region, the Household Travel Survey found that only 1.5% were cycled in 27-211. This has increased slightly from 1.3% in 25-29. The Short-Trip Active Mode survey collected information on short-trip travel in the previous 24 hours. As shown in Table 7, large proportions of respondents made short-trips in the previous 24 hours. In 29, 79% of people made a short-trip up to 2km in length, with only 4% cycling a short-trip up to 2km in length. The proportion cycling short-trips has increased slightly over the survey periods. Table 7. Percentage of respondents that made short trips in the previous 24 hours; Short-Trip Active Mode Survey Trips up to 1km All Cycle modes Trips 1-2km Trips up to 2km All Cycle modes Year All Cycle modes 24 39 1 6 3 81 3 26 36 1 71 3 89 3 29 37 1 69 3 79 4 Of the short-trips that were cycled, the majority were for the purpose of returning home from somewhere or visiting the shops. Seven percent were to go to a place of work or study. PAGE 14 OF 37 WGN_DOCS-#118141-V13
4.4 Summary There are a number of data sources that can provide regional information on our travel choices including cycle travel. All of these sources show that the motor vehicle is by far the preferred mode of transport in the region. Wellington also has a high proportion of trips taken by public transport and walking but cycling trips only make up a very small percentage of our travel. Cycle trips make up 1% of all our travel, 1% of our travel time and.4% of our distance travelled. Household Travel Survey data on cycle trips, distance cycled and time spent cycling per year decreased from 23-27 to 26-21 but have all increased over the last survey cycle. Comparing cycle behaviour from the 27-211 survey with that from the 23-27 survey it is found that we are cycling fewer trips per year, but these trips are getting longer. This has resulted in no change in the distance cycled per person per week, which is calculated to be 1km per week. Travel to work by cycling accounts for between 2-3% of trips to work. The data indicates little change or a slight decline in cycling trips to work from 21 to 26, but there is evidence that cycle travel to work has increased over the last few years. Of particular note is the large increase in cyclists in and around Wellington city. Travel to school data is more variable. The Household Travel Survey data shows around 4% of children cycle to school, whereas the region s School Travel Plan (STP) programme data has around 9% of children cycling to school. However, this STP data is not regionally representative, and the cycling category also includes children travelling by skateboard and scooter, so this may account for the observed differences. The increase in children being driven to school over the last 2 years has serious health implications for our children (Ministry of Transport, 29). So it is encouraging to see that children at schools in the STP programme have increased their cycling mode share on exposure to the programme. Cycling tends to be promoted as an alternative mode choice for short and medium length trips. Short-trips make up a large proportion of household travel but only a small proportion are cycled. In 27-211, 1.5% of trips less than 5km were cycled and in 29 4% of trips less than 2km were cycled. These have both increased slightly over the last decade. Cycling trips currently only make up a small proportion of our trips. However, there is evidence that after little change in cycling trips and mode share at the beginning of the millennium, cycling travel across the region is now increasing. Wellington also has a high number of trips taken via public transport and walking, but bringing about growth in cycling has the potential to significantly grow the sustainable transport mode share in the region. WGN_DOCS-#118141-V13 PAGE 15 OF 37
5. Cycle Safety and Risk Perceived safety issues are a key barrier to cycling and these may be compounded in the future due to more vehicle traffic for cyclists to contend with on the roads. However, there is also evidence that higher levels of cycling coincide with increased cycling safety (Turner et al., 26; UK Department for Transport, 21). Cyclist safety is an area of high concern in the Wellington region (Greater Wellington Regional Council, 21) and an area of medium concern nationally, under Safer Journeys (Ministry of Transport 21). Crash data reported by Police is the main way in which road safety is monitored, however as more cyclists are injured in non-motor vehicle incidents this data only presents the tip of the iceberg. This chapter presents data not only from Police road crash reports but from other injury data collections to provide a broader picture of cyclist injury incidents in the region. 5.1 Cyclist injury crashes Information from the Crash Analysis System (CAS), relating to on road cycle crashes, shows that in the 27-211 period cyclists were involved in 12% of all injury crashes and 14% of fatal and serious injury crashes. The number of cyclist injury crashes from 21 to 211 is shown in Figure 14. The number of cyclist injury crashes increased from 23 to 28, then decreased each year since this time. Figure 14. Cyclist injury crashes by injury severity, CAS Number of crashes 2 15 1 5 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 21 211 M inor 74 79 58 63 94 89 113 115 112 18 62 Serious 19 9 16 21 14 2 35 33 2 16 31 Fatal 1 4 2 1 2 1 1 The number of fatal and serious cyclist injury crashes follows a similar trend, increasing from 22 to 27, and then decreasing from 28 to 21. However, over the last year fatal and serious injury crashes doubled from 16 to 32. Crossing/turning was the movement characteristic most likely to be involved in cyclists injury crashes; 43% in 27-211. In these incidents vehicles tend to be crossing/turning across the path of a cyclist going straight. A crash can also be a combination of contributing factors, but poor observation (59%) and failing to give way or stop (41%) are the two factors most commonly involved in cyclist injury crashes. 5.2 Cyclist casualties In a single crash it is possible to have more than one injury. So for completeness the number of cyclist casualties on the regions roads is shown in Figure 15. In 211, from 94 cyclist injury crashes on the region s roads there was 1 fatality, 31 serious injuries and 67 minor injuries. As would be expected the trend over time in cyclist casualties is similar to that for crashes (see Figure 14). Figure 15. Cyclist road crash casualties, CAS Number of casualties 2 15 1 5 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 21 211 Minor injuries 78 89 6 67 12 95 121 122 118 117 67 Serious injuries 19 9 16 21 14 2 35 33 2 17 31 Fatalities 1 4 2 1 2 1 1 The number of cyclist casualties on the Wellington region s roads, by broad age categories, is shown in Table 8. Table 8. Cyclist casualties on the road by age, CAS 5-12 yrs 13-17 yrs 18+ 21-25 5 44 373 22-26 54 42 389 23-27 5 5 445 24-28 46 54 517 25-29 51 48 559 26-21 47 49 572 27-211 4 4 566 PAGE 16 OF 37 WGN_DOCS-#118141-V13
In general, the number of school age cyclist casualties on the region s roads has decreased slightly over the last decade, whereas the number of adult cyclist casualties has increased. The effect of this is shown in Figure 16, which shows the age distribution of cyclists injured over the 27-211 period. The age distribution for the 21-25 and 24-28 periods are also shown. Percentage distribution 16 14 12 1 Figure 16. Age distribution of cyclist casualties on the road, CAS 8 6 4 2 27-211 24-28 21-25 The increase in casualties of older ages has resulted in a shift in the age distribution of cyclist casualties. With a decrease in the proportion of casualties in younger age groups (ages 5-29) and an increase in older age groups (45-59). This also follows a similar trend as observed nationally. Data from the National Injury Query System (NIQS), based on hospital admissions and coronial records, also provide information on cyclist casualties. Figure 17 shows the number of fatal and non-fatal cyclist casualties as a result of motor vehicle crashes (MV) and nonmotor vehicle incidents (NMV). Figure 17. Cyclist motor vehicle (MV) and non-motor vehicle (NMV) casualties, NIQS Number of casualties 14 12 1 8 6 4 2 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 Year Fatal (MV) Non-fatal (M V) Fatal (NMV) Non-fatal (NM V) Over the last decade cyclist fatalities are more likely to have resulted from motor vehicle crashes than from non-motor vehicle incidents. However, higher numbers of cyclists are admitted to hospital as a result of non-motor vehicle incidents. To result in a hospital admission it can be assumed that a cyclist injury must be relatively serious. Therefore, it is feasible to compare the fatal and serious injury data in Figure 15 from CAS to the data for motor vehicle casualties in Figure 17 from NIQS. Although CAS indicates higher numbers of cyclist injuries, both data sources show a similar trend with numbers peaking in the 27 and 28 years. Of importance from this data source is the number of cyclist casualties as a result of nonmotor vehicle incidents. Across the 21-29 period there has been 1 fatality and just under 1, hospital admissions from non-motor vehicle incidents. Cyclist hospital admissions from non-motor vehicle sources peaked in 27 but decreased in 28 and again in 29. In 29, there were 19 cyclist hospital admissions in the region from non-motor vehicle incidents. The number of cyclist injuries in the Wellington region by broad age categories 2 is shown in Table 9. In general, the number of cyclist casualties of school age has decreased over the last decade, whereas the number of adult cyclist casualties has increased. This is similar to the trend observed for cyclist casualties on the region s roads. Table 9. Cyclist injuries by age, NIQS 5-14 yrs 15-19 yrs 2+ 21-25 214 61 277 22-26 197 63 267 23-27 25 76 36 24-28 197 83 348 25-29 175 83 369 The age distribution of cyclist casualties is shown in Figure 18. This distribution profile is very different to that observed for cyclist casualties just on the road (Figure 16). Younger age groups are much more likely to be involved in cyclist incidents. However, over time there has been a decrease in the proportion 2 Due to the way data is reported it was not possible to present the information in Table 9 in the same age categories as Table 8. WGN_DOCS-#118141-V13 PAGE 17 OF 37
of injuries at younger age groups, with an increase in the proportion of injuries of 35-59 year olds. Percentage distribution Figure 18. Age distribution of cyclist casualties; NIQS 25 2 15 1 5 5.3 Risk on the road 25-29 23-27 21-25 If only the total number of road crashes involving cyclists is considered, it could be concluded that cyclists are quite safe on the road because there are very few crashes involving them. In fact, this is really a result of there being only a small number of cyclists on the road, compared to other road users. Road crash statistics by themselves therefore do not tell us who is most at risk on the road because they don t take into account the time or distance travelled. The amount of travel can be combined with crash statistics to compare the risk of death and injury. Cycling is the second most risky mode (Ministry of Transport, 29) by time spent travelling and distance travelled (motorcycling is the most risky). As noted in previous sections, in 27-211 cycling only made up 1% of all our travel, 1% of our travel time and.4% of our distance travelled, but 12% of our injury crashes on the region s roads. Table 1 shows the region s cyclist casualties per 1 million km and 1 million hours. Cyclist casualties per 1 million km and per 1 million hours increased steadily from 23-27 to 26-21 survey periods, but both have declined over the last survey period (27-211). Time spent cycling, and distance cycled (Tables 5 and 6) have increased over the last two survey periods but cyclist injuries (Table 8) have decreased resulting in the observed reduction of cyclist risk. Table 1. Cyclist casualties per 1 million km and 1 million hours*; HHTS Casualties per 1 million.. km hours 23-27 449 44 24-28 52 51 25-29 689 76 26-21 697 76 27-211 474 5 *There were less than 1 respondents reporting cycling during the survey in each of these time periods so these results should be treated with caution The small regional sample size means it is not possible to examine risk by age group. However, it is known that there has been a steady decline in the proportion of students cycling to school over the last couple of decades, and this has resulted in a decrease in the time and distance spent cycling by children (Ministry of Transport, 211). Children have a lower risk of injury per time spent travelling but children cycle more slowly than adults and take longer to cover the same distance, so they have a higher risk per distance travelled due to the longer time exposure for travelling the same distance as older cyclists. 5.4 ACC claims Another source of data which can provide a picture of cyclist safety is from ACC claims. The number of ACC claims related to cycling from the region s residents is shown in Figure 19. In 211 there were 859 new ACC claims relating to cycling. Thirty-three percent (n=287) of claims were for incidents that occurred on a road/street, with the remaining occurring at home (25%, n=216), at a place of recreation/sport (28%, n=241) or other (14%, n=115). The number of claims has fluctuated over the study period but has increased since 29. The trend in road or street cycle claims is similar to the trend observed for serious injury casualties from CAS (Figure 15). From 27 to 21 there was a gradual decline in cyclist injuries/claims, followed by an increase from 21 to 211. However of particular note is the number of ACC claims compared to cyclist injuries reported through CAS (Figure 15) and hospital admission data (Figure 17). PAGE 18 OF 37 WGN_DOCS-#118141-V13
Figure 19. Number of ACC claims relating to cycling; ACC Number of claims 12 1 8 6 4 2 27 28 29 21 211 Other 1 138 96 121 115 Place of recreation 185 27 196 271 241 Home 25 25 175 227 216 Road or street 338 329 268 224 287 In 211, CAS reported 98 serious/minor cyclist casualties whereas there were 287 ACC claims for on road cycle accidents (data from NIQS is currently not available for 211). This suggests that CAS underestimates the number of on road cyclist incidents. 5.5 Perceptions of safety It is known that people s use or non-use of a particular mode of personal transport relates to how they perceive it. Therefore, a negative perception leads to resistance and non-use, while a positive perception catalyses usage. The Transport Perceptions Survey collects perception information relating to cyclist safety. Figure 2 presents responses to the question: How safe or unsafe do you think people in the Wellington region generally are when they cycle? Would you say.? Figure 2. Perception of cyclist safety; TPS 1 8 6 4 2 2 2 1 2 2 27 22 35 7 7 21 26 33 7 11 25 25 2 26 27 35 34 24 38 6 7 11 6 5 4 23 24 26 28 212 Survey year Don't know Very unsafe unsafe Neither safe nor unsafe Safe Very safe In 212, 22% thought that cycling in the Wellington region was safe (includes safe and very safe ), 24% thought it was neither safe nor unsafe, 49% thought it was unsafe (includes unsafe and very unsafe ) and 4% did not know. Across all years, very few residents (2%) rate cycling as very safe, and there has been a general decrease in the percentage of residents rating cycling in the region as safe. Residents who had cycled in the last 3 months were significantly less likely to not know whether cycling in the Wellington region was safe or unsafe (% responded don t know compared to 4%). Residents who had cycled in the last 3 months were also more likely to rate cycling as unsafe (46% compared to 38%), however due to the small sample sizes this is not significant. Transport Perceptions Surveys from 23 to 28 collected information on whether respondents would, or do, let a child (under the age of 12), cycle unsupervised in the vicinity of their home or to/from school (see Table 11). Table 11. Percentage of respondents that would let a child (under the age of 12) cycle unsupervised in the vicinity of their home or to/from school; TPS In vicinity of home To/from school 23 34 72 24 32 73 26 37 74 28 41 78 From 23 to 28 increasing proportions stated they would, or do let a child (under the age of 12) cycle unsupervised in the vicinity of their home (72% to 78%) or cycle to/from school (34% to 41%). Of those that would not let a child cycle unsupervised in the vicinity of their home or to/from school the main reason mentioned in the survey was: too much traffic Other reasons included: No cycle lanes/narrow roads/poor condition of roads Hills/too steep Speeding traffic/drive too fast Poor driving/dangerous driving Too young/too immature Road/traffic danger/road safety WGN_DOCS-#118141-V13 PAGE 19 OF 37
Lack road sense/don t know road rules/unpredictable (this was more likely to be mentioned in relation to travel to/from school). The latest Transport Perceptions Survey (212) asked residents about how safe or unsafe children in their local area were if they cycle to school. The survey found that 34% thought they were safe (26% rated it is safe and 8% very safe ), 15% thought they were neither safe nor unsafe, 44% thought they were unsafe (4% rated it as unsafe and 4% very unsafe ), and 6% did not know. Parents of children at schools that signed up to the School Travel Plan programme in 211 also supplied information on cycling safety to school. Parents were asked to what extent they agree or disagree that children are safe cycling to our school? Although not regionally representative, this data provides information from parents who can directly influence the mode of transport a child uses to travel to/from school. In 211, it was found that 42% of parents agreed that children were safe cycling to their school (35% agreed and 7% strongly agreed ), 42% disagreed (34% disagreed and 8% strongly disagreed ), and 16% did not know. decline in the proportion of residents that believe cycling in the region is safe. Cycling is found to have a higher relative risk than other modes; making up 1% of all our travel, but 12% of our injury crashes on the region s roads. Therefore perceptions of cycling safety, along with provision and quality of cycling facilities have an important part to play in increasing cycling levels. 5.6 Summary As a region we greatly rely on the use of Crash Analysis System (CAS) data to provide a picture of regional cyclist safety. A wider look at other data sources suggests that CAS underestimates the number of on road incidents involving cyclists, and that on road cyclist injuries only make up a small proportion of all cyclist injuries that occur (1% of all cyclist hospital admissions, and 33% of all cyclist injury ACC claims). However, road incidents are a leading cause of cyclist fatalities in the region, and are more likely to result in serious injuries. Cyclist injury data from all sources peaked in 27/28 but in general have declined since this time. Over the last decade there has also been a decrease in the proportion of injuries occurring amongst children, even though children remain most likely to be admitted to hospital from their injuries. Most residents believe that cycling in the region is unsafe, and over time there has been a PAGE 2 OF 37 WGN_DOCS-#118141-V13